Door closer



Dec. l, 1931.

s.: w. c. FrrTs `1,834,609

DOOR cLosER Filed March' 17, 1951 ll-zfi INVENTOR., $6; M C. BY

73x(7 Y 71W? ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 1, 1931` .caire-e fermes PATENT OFFICE SILAS W1C. TTOF'ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA, `AS:'a`I`\'J`r].\`."O]3. T0 TEE CONDOR COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCESCO, CALIFORNA, CORPORATION OF NEVADA noon crosse Application filed'March 17, 1931. Serial No. 523,269.

The present invention relates to doorclosers of the concealed spring actuated type, and constitutes an improvement upon the door y closer disclosed in United States Letters 5 Patent No. 1,730,948.

\The principal object of the invention is to provide a door closer which will operate to close the door from any predetermined open position, butwhich ,will become inoperative w' when said positionA is reached in the opening of the door, so that the door will stand open atsuch position. A further object is to provide a device which will also operate to lurther open the door from saidpredeter- 1;, mined position to the Jfull extent of its opening; that is to say, when the door is opened to any point less than the predetermined holding position, which mayV be 90 degrees, for example, it will be automatically closed, but when opened to said 90 degree position it will remain there, and when opened beyond said position itV will be automatically opened the rest of the way to its limit ot travel. Still further objects ot' the invention are to provide means for conveniently adjusting the length ol the flexible tension member, thereby adjusting the tension of the closing spring,

and to provide means for relieving the ten-v sion of said spring when the door is in its fully opened position. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following speciication, which should be read with the understandingthat the form, construction and arrangement ot' the several parts may be if'aried, within the scope ot the claims hereto appended, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawing` in which the ligure is a horizontal. section of my improved door closer.

The door closer to which my present invention is applied is similar in general 'form and operation to that disclosed in said Patent 1,780,948. v A

1n the drawing, the reference numeral 1 designates the door and 2 the door frame, although these parts may be reversed without affecting the construction or operation ot the device in any way. 3 and 4 are similarly r'forinedcastings, one of which is inserted in the rear edge o the door and the other in the adjacent face of the door frame. The casting forms an anchor member for a flexible tension member 5, preferably a chain as shown. The other end of said chain extends through the casting 3 and into a tubular housing 6 which is secured to said casting` 3 and extended into the door 1, the casting 3 and housing 6 constituting what may be termed the body member of the assembly. The end of the chain withinv the body member is connected by a suitable thrust washer or disk 7 with compression spring 8 mounted in the bruising C between the disk 7 and the inner end ot the casting 3. The spring 8, therefore, keeps the chain 5 under tension. A roller 9 is mounted upon a pin 10 inthe casting 3, and serves as a puide for the chain 5.

The outer or hXed end of the chain 5 is connected with an adjusting turn-buckle 11, which is pivotally connected with a pin 12 in the anchor casting 4.- The turn-buckle 11, which may be reached by a suitable small wrench inserted through the open mouth of the casting 4, serves to adjust the tension upon thel chain 5, by varying its length.

rEhe castings 3 and et have aligned lateral slotted oisets 3 and 4J, which project through the inner faces of the door and door trame, and in which the chain 5 lies when the door is opened more than a small amount. This position of the chain, that is, its ability to pass into the lateral extensions 3 and 4', is permitted by placing the guide roller 9 and the anchor pin 12 some distance back from the edges of the door and frame.

T he door hinge is shown in the drawing at 13. It may or may not be positioned in the same horizontal plane as the closer, but if it is so positioned it must be slotted to permit the chain 5 to pass through it.

rfhe essential feature of the invention is "that the lateral guide extensions 3 and 4 and hinge, there is no force acting upon the door to eithei close or open it, and it therefore stands without moving. If the door be moved toward its closed position, the chain will pass inside the line ot the hinge pin 13, as illustrated in broken lines, and the spring 8 willtherenpon exert a closing 'force upon the door. TVlienthe door is opened from the position shown in full lines, the chain passe. outside of the line of the hinge pin 13, and the spring 8 thereupon acts upon it to move the door further open to the limit of its travel. In this opening movement, the spring extends slightly, thereby relieving, to some extent at least, the strain upon it.

VItslioul-:l be noted tb at the threefold function et the device, that is to say, its ability to. hold the door in a predetermined intermediate position, and to rclose or open it from either side of t iat position, is caused by positioning the guide roller 9 and the anchorpin lQfbael of' the faces ot the door .and trame, and providing the lateral gnide extensions 3 and 4 in which` the e iain passes as tliedoor is opened. The position at which the chain is in line with the axis ot the hinge 13, that is, the position at which the door remains stationary, is determined by the positions et the roller 9 and anchor l 'n i2, and the extent of the lateral guides 3 and il.

vIt should be noted that the operation ot the device is yentirely automatic, and the only adjustment required is that of the turn-buckle ll to place the desired tension upon the chain 5. lloieover.J Athe device is almost wholly concealed, the only exposed parts being the lateral guide extensions 3f and e', and the cha-in when the door is open. TEinally, Aby

making the castings 8 and 4 identical, except for the positions of the pins l() and l2, which can be inserted in drilled holes, manutaeturing costs are reduced to a minimum.

I clain :f y

1. A closer for hinged doors con'iprising an ancho member and a body member, one

mounted in the door and the other in the door frame, and both having aligned lateral guide extensions on one side, a s Jiing in said body 'membeig and a flexible tension member hav'- ing one end connected with said anchor meniber and the other end resiliently connected with said body member through said spring, said .tension member beingadapted to lie within said guide extensions when the door is opened. l

'2. A closer tor hinged doors comprising an anchor member and a body member, one

mounted in the door an d the other in the door "rame and both having aligned lateral guide extensions on one side, and a liexible tension rmember extending between and resiliently connecting Vsaid anchor and body members, said liexible member lying within said guide extensions when the door is opened and being positioned in line with the axis of the dooi` hinge when the door is at a predetermined position and passing to one side of said hinge axis'when the door is moved away from said position.

8. A eloservfor hinged doors comprising an anchor member and a body member, one mounted in the door and the other in the door frame and both having aligned lateral guide extensions on one side, a flexible tension member extending between and resiliently connecting said anchor and body members, said flexible member lying within said guide extensions when the door is opened and being positioned in line with the axis of the door hinn'e when the door is at a predetermined position and passing to one side of said hinge axis when the door is moved away from said position, and a turn-buckle included in said tension member for adjusting its length.

l. il. closer for hingeddoors comprising an anchor member and a body member, one mounted in the door and the other in the door frame, and both being laterally slotted, a guide in said body member positionedat the base ot the slot and remote from the face thereof, and a iiexible tension member having one end connected with said anchor inember at a point inside the base of its slot and remote from its lace and the other end passing over said guide and being resiliently connected with said body member, said tension member being arranged to pass laterally into the slots of said anchor and body members when the door is opened.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speeilication.

siLAs W. o. riT'rs. 

